A Traditional Institutionsurviving in a Modern Setting?The Reinterpretation of Caste in the IndianIT Industry

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Date

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Thesis Discipline

Sociology

Degree Grantor

University of Canterbury

Degree Level

Doctoral

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis aims to explore and understand the changes to the social institution of caste
that arise from the ongoing modernisation of Indian society. The research setting is the
IT industry in Bangalore and Hyderabad. As the Indian IT industry is the economic
sector most exposed to globalised modernisation, it has come to represent a social
milieu deemed particularly modern in India. The thesis discusses the social role of the
IT industry in India; the rise of the new middle classes, and the specifics of the locality
of Bangalore. It is argued that caste as a social institution systematically connects three
different dimensions of human existence; the economic (caste-wise division of labour);
the biological (rules concerning exogamy and endogamy); and the ideational (various
rationalisations for caste). While the economic dimension of caste is increasingly losing
its meaning, caste endogamy remains largely intact and is rationalised in forms much
more compatible with modernity. This composite model of caste is then contrasted with
a model of modernity based arguments presented by the most relevant sociologists,
from Max Weber to Peter Wagner. In the analysis here, the contemporary, ‘quasiethnic’
reinterpretation of caste appears still to conflict with the implications of
modernity. Even though caste provides actual benefits for those who employ the
concept and practise it – ranging from political to economic to private – its rationale
nevertheless contrasts with the motives that are generally attributed to modernity.
The empirical research, employing qualitative, semi-structured interviews, participant
observation, and hermeneutic interpretation of first-hand sources, produces a complex
picture. The interviews with more than 70 IT employees of various caste backgrounds
(including over 40 from SC/ST categories – underrepresented in the industry) indicate
that caste is seemingly irrelevant in professional settings. In support of this conclusion,
additional research hints at the prevalence of widespread anonymity in the IT industry
and limited understanding of caste amongst IT employees. By contrast, participant
observation during seven months living amongst IT engineers suggests that caste still
matters: In private, the consequences of the practise of caste are still apparent, even
though ritual restrictions are waning in importance. Thus, a pronounced caste-wise
compartmentalisation of Indian society remains visible even amongst young IT
engineers. The thesis concludes that caste is not disappearing from Indian society;
rather, it is dramatically adapting to modern circumstances.